Master of Crows Paperback – June 30, 2014

Originally posted on A Bookworm's Confession's - http://reviewsbykatelin.blogspot.com/2014/10/master-of-crows-by-grace-draven.htmlI loved this book. I absolutely loved it. Draven writes wonderfully and she is able to immerse you in her world without confusing you. There were no info dumps and the characters were well developed. I like the type of magic that occupied this world and I like how the class systems worked because it gave the story some life.The main two characters are Martise of Asher and Silhara of Neith. Martise is a slave and is sent to Neith as an apprentice. Her true purpose was to spy on Silhara so her master, Bishop Cumbria, could find an excuse to execute him. There is extreme hatred between the two and neither bother hiding it. Martise is a well and is able to translate old texts. Silhara is in need of her abilities so he can find a way to kill the false god, Corruption. Silhara also has to try to make Martise's Gift appear. It's obvious she had it but it doesn't want to show itself.Silhara is an ass but there are good reasons for this. He is a powerful mage who lives in squalor. Neith is a ruin for someone of noble blood. The title "Master of Crows" is an insult because they associate crows with evil and death. In truth, Silhara only uses some dark magic and not for dark purposes. At the moment Corruption wants to use Silhara as his avatar to rule the human world. Silhara is doing his best to resist the evil god but he can't resist much longer. He needs to find a way to kill him.Martise is an average woman but with a beautiful voice. She isn't beautiful; she is plain and unassuming. She is very smart and clever however and her role as a slave serves her well. She picks up information because who pays attention to a slave? She finds that she fits in at Neith. Gurn, the servant but truly Silhara's friend, is mute but uses sign language. He cares for Silhara and soon comes to care for Martise. I like Gurn. He's a giant with a big heart despite a dark past.We do end up finding out about Martise's Gift but it is not the Gift anyone expected. It's actually a curse. It's quite sad actually but there is an excellent reason behind Draven's choice of Gift for Martise. I like that Silhara is extremely powerful and that he is a tortured soul that Martise comes to love.This is a fantasy-romance so obviously the two fall in love. Their love isn't instant and it's obvious that it is a difficult thing to embrace. I like how their relationship grew through the book and the discovery's they find in each other and in themselves.There is plenty of action and suspense. The ending is a HEA for which I am grateful. I couldn't see it ending any other way. The entire book is just written brilliantly. Her words paint the picture in your mind and you find yourself completely immersed and up way late into the night when you should be sleeping.I highly recommend this book. I read it in the anthology "Darkly Dreaming." I just discovered that there will be a sequel coming out. Draven hadn't planned for one but she changed her mind and decided that it sounded like a good idea. I'm excited.

First order of business; I have to gush about the cover art! Best cover art ever! This beautiful piece of work was created by the talented Louisa Gallie. She is a Concept Artist, Illustrator and she also designs e-book covers. And after reading this book, I have to agree with what Ms. Draven wrote in her dedication."... an enthusiastic thank you to Louisa Gallie who found the heart of this book and brought it to vivid life..."That she did! This artist really captured the essence of this book. It's exactly the way I pictured it. Amazing!Okay, well, I could ramble on and on about the importance of fantastic cover art. How crucial and sometimes overlooked it can be. But, I won't bore you with my musings and statistics. Instead, I'll get right to reviewing the content.Master Of Crows is a Fantasy/Romance that is threaded with darkness, arcane magic and has an antediluvian/medieval vibeThis book seemed more like a romance then fantasy to me. The romance is a slow progression, but once it's out there it's all about the lovin' and the fantasy aspect takes a back seat. For some reason that disappointed me. I was really getting into the fantasy world that Ms. Draven so beautifully created that I sort of forgot this book was categorized as a Romance as well. I would have liked the romance toned down just a little in order to evenly balance with the fantasy.However, I was not disappointed in the characters. I thought the consistency was there. I know some reviewers scoff at the servant/master role between Martise and Silhara but I have to disagree.Martise, was raised a slave. Taught to serve in the house of Asher. This is all she knows. That is who she is and we do see her progress slowly out of that role as she discovers her powers. Later on, we see she is treated like a mate and equal.Silhara, is a brooding loner type who has pushed people away his whole life. Other Mages have feared him and treated him as an outcast. He assumes that role. However, Martise is able to break through that protective wall he has so stubbornly created and thus, drops his guard long enough that we as readers get a chance to see the man Martise has fallen in love with.Silhara and Martise are the main protagonists is this tale but my heart goes to the supporting character Gurn. Gurn is the man-servant of Silhara, and is mute. I was so impressed with how skillfully Ms. Draven wrote his character. Obviously he has no dialog but his personality shines through the pages with the way she has so artfully scripted his actions and expressions. From a writing stand point, that is truly an impressive feat. I smiled when he smiled and felt frustrated and angry when his character did as well. Gurn's character was an unexpected surprise and he stole the show for me.Grace Draven is a wonderful descriptive writer. She sucked me into the land of Neith and I had no trouble at all visualizing all of the layers and subtile details. A talented and promising author that I expect will produce nothing but superior work in the future.I recommend this book for those of you who love a romance first and a fantasy second. I give Master of Crows 4 stars. A great book for the antiquated romantic at heart.

Excellent reading, with engaging characters and plot. If I must quibble, it is because the author mentions that the MFC smells orange blossoms when she opens her bedroom window, and later on in the groves, there is the harvest going on. Even a city girl like me knows that orange trees bloom only in the spring and you harvest much later on when all the blooms are long gone. Perhaps this is a bit of literary license.

Excellent fantasy romance! Well developed characters with a world that is decently built for the length of the book. Loved the writing style that balances character building, world building, and romance. Also has a very nice spice level! I read this years ago, and forgot the title and author. However I would think about it now and then wishing I had saved it. Then BookTok influenced me into reading a different book and I recognized her writing immediately! I was able to research and find this book again! Her other books are good and build on this world.